Half Marathon #2

Yesterday I completed my second half marathon, running in the Charlottesville Half. I was on pace for 1:57 through the first 11 miles, but the killer hills over the last two miles did me in. I finished in 2:02.45.

Photo by L. Jones, me after the Charlottesville Half. 2 Apr 2016.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Starting line at the Charlottesville Half.

We had a cool morning with spotty light rain. The rain was never too heavy, and the conditions were great for a personal record. The only problem was I underestimated how difficult the hills were on the course. While there are hills throughout the race, the hills on miles 12-13 are truly brutal. No PR with this race, but I felt stronger than in last September's Navy Half. Although my time was about a minute slower than that race, I was more consistent (until my legs couldn't go any further climbing the finishing hill on mile 13).

Now the training begins to shift toward the Reykjavik Marathon in August. It may be a little while before taking on another half marathon, but I like the distance. I probably won't do the Charlottesville Half again. It was a nice, well organized race. But those hills! Congrats to all who ran this, including those brave runners who did the full marathon.